Jeffrey Hollister, Montrose

Salvatore P. Gentile, Jr., 44, Montrose, will face misdemeanor charges before the district judge stemming from an incident in Montrose Borough on Aug. 1. According to reports filed, borough patrolman Nathanial Williams was contacted by the 911 center to see a man who wished to report a theft from his vehicle. The complainant, Jason Sparger, said he was parked in front of the Red Cross building on Public Ave. in the borough awaiting assistance for his disabled truck when an individual approached him and asked if he had the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Thinking that the man intended to render aid, Sparger offered the manual, but instead of helping the man, grabbed a bag of groceries from the truck and ran down the street with the bag and the manual. Upon hearing a description of the thief as given by Sparger, Williams believed the perpetrator to be Gentile, who is known to him, and recalled seeing the individual in question walking in the area earlier that day. Williams obtained a photo of Gentile and showed it to Sparger, who alleged that it was indeed person who had run off with his groceries. Gentile is ordered to appear in court on Sept. 12 on charges of theft by unlawful taking and theft from a vehicle.

The decision to run from police in the early morning hours of June 19 did not help Edward Walter Kalaf, 32, Forest Lake Road, Montrose, escape having charges of DUI and careless driving filed against him. Reports filed by borough patrolman Laura Watson state that while she was on patrol she observed a vehicle repeatedly wandering over the yellow line and braking, then ultimately taking off at a high rate of speed on Route 706. Watson attempted a traffic stop using lights and sirens, but the vehicle did not yield, and she pursued it to Coleman Road, assisted by patrolman Dave Williams, where the vehicle then stopped in the middle of the road. When questioned as to the reason for his flight, Kalaf, the operator of the vehicle, stated, “To get away from you guys. I’m not drinking. I was [expletive deleted] with you guys, I saw you guys behind me.” Kalaf submitted to a breathalyzer test on scene, but initially managed to avoid blowing into the tube until the test was administered by Corporal Genneken, whereupon he blew a .109. At that time he admitted he had in fact been drinking at an area establishment. Further field sobriety tests indicated impairment, and despite his claims that his lawyer would get him off and that he was friendly with law enforcement officers, Kalaf was read his chemical warnings, arrested and transported to Endless Mountains Health Systems, where his blood alcohol tested at .119. He is ordered to appear in court on Sept. 12.

A Forest City woman who visited the county courthouse on Aug. 10 will be making a return trip on Sept. 12 to answer charges of possession of drug paraphernalia. Bernadette Janice Mann, 22, at first claimed the pipe discovered in her purse when she handed it to the sheriff’s deputy to be scanned at the security check was for smoking tobacco, but when Deputy Nate Williams countered that the residue did not smell like tobacco, she admitted that she had used it infrequently for marijuana and had forgotten it was in her purse. The pipe was placed into evidence and Mann was informed that she would be notified of charges filed and an appearance date in the district judge’s office. She faces misdemeanor charges of possession of paraphernalia and other acts associated with the offense.